Life Protected
by Bree Trip-Annytts
Summary: Gibbs thought Ari shot Kate, and Ziva shot Ari. When someone turns up on his doorstep she makes Gibbs question what happened that day on the rooftop.  Story based on Kari relationship but most of the story follows the team.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Life Protected

Chaka ran through the busy streets, rain pouring down on her face, her feet coming down hard on the scattered puddles soaking the bottoms of her long black ripped leggings, she ran across the road without waiting for the walk sign, she was in a rush to get out of the rain

When Chaka reached the NCIS building her long dark brown hair was damp and messy and the water was causing her over sized plain white tee under her green parka to cling to her small frame, her tattered dirty white canvas shoes were filled with water, she emptied them out and adjusted her clothes and hair the best she could before entering the building, she walked up to the big security guard standing next to the metal detector

"Excuse me sir, I'm here to see special agent Gibbs please"

"Sorry I can't let you do that, this is a federal law enforcement office not a playground, you're clearly not here on appointment and special agent Gibbs has no family, come back tomorrow when someone knows you're coming"

"But"

"I'm sorry there's nothing I can do", Chaka turned and walked out the door, she was disheartened but not ready to give up yet, her parents had taught her well, she walked around the side of the building, she saw a truck with several men unloading body bags ready to take around the side door, she slipped past them and went a little further down the side of the building until she found a dumpster, she climbed the frame and pulled herself up through the garbage flap on the side of the wall, it was a bit of a squeeze but she had enough space to crawl

Chaka came out of the garbage flap just outside the autopsy room, she heard voices and quickly hid behind a large pole near the elevator, she saw an old man in a bow tie babbling on to a younger man with light brown curly hair and glasses, Chaka assumed that they were Dr. Mallard and Jimmy, followed by the men with the gurneys when the hallway was clear she made her way to the elevator and up to the bullpen, when the elevator doors opened she saw the security guard from downstairs, she gasped and he turned his head

"HEY, I thought I told you to get out", Chaka ran the other way with the security guard chasing after her, she was frantically looking around for an older man with a funny haircut, she was told she would know who he was when she saw him, and also that Special Agent Gibbs would probably recognize her as well so not to be surprised if he had a heart attack, "HEY STOP"

"NO", Chaka turned her head to see how far ahead she was of the security guard, she had a good 20 metres, she also saw several people watching her, she turned a corner and suddenly ran into someone, she looked up at their face still trying to catch her breath, the woman looked back down at her in confusion

"That's OK Mark, I've got her"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, go back down stairs", she looked back down at the child in front at her, she was looking up at her with beautiful big brown eyes studying her face, head slightly tilted to the side to the side, suddenly her eyes lit up with recognition

"Ziva?"

"How do you know my name?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What am I do.., who are you?"

"My name's Chaka, I need to see Special Agent Gibbs right away"

"You're Israeli"

"Partially, but that's not important right now, I need to see Special Agent Gibbs, I need his help"

"How old are you, where are your parents, and how did you get here?"

"I can't tell you that until I see Gibbs"

"You know Gibbs well then"

"No, actually I've never met him"

"You called him Gibbs"

"That's his name"

"No, his name's Jethro, only people who know him know to call him Gibbs, perhaps your parents know him"

"I already told you, I can't tell you"

"Does Gibbs know who you are?"

"No, he doesn't know who I am, but he will when he sees me"

"So he does know your parents, friends with your mum or dad?"

"Please Ziva, where's Gibbs?" Chaka's eyes began to water, and Ziva gave in

"He's up in MTAC, he'll be down in a minute, you can wait at my desk", Chaka walked over to Ziva's desk and sat down, she ran her hands over the wood of the desk and the arms of the chair, a single tear ran down her cheek before she wiped it away, Ziva felt sorry for the little girl, she had obviously been through a lot, Ziva watched as Chaka got out some paper and a pencil and began to draw

"Morning Ziva", Tony walked into the bullpen but stopped when he saw the young girl at Ziva's desk who still hadn't looked up, he pointed gave Ziva a look that asked who the little girl was, before Ziva could answer they heard a small voice

"Ziva?"

"Yes", Chaka looked at Ziva as she walked towards her desk to talk to her taking extra special care not to make eye contact with Tony, "Do you have a pair of sunglasses I can borrow, the sun coming through the skylight is bothering me", Ziva looked confused but took a pair of sunglasses out of her top draw anyway

"Here you go sweetie", Ziva handed the sunglasses and she put them on, Ziva squatted down so she was level with Chaka sitting in the chair

"Thanks Ziva", Chaka smiled, she had a beautiful smile that revealed a row of perfect teeth

"Anything else you need? Gibbs should be here in a minute"

"No thank you, I'm alright", Ziva walked over to McGee's desk and sat down

"Hi sweetie what's your name?"

"I'm Chaka, you must be Tony"

"How'd you know that?"

"Don't get all worked up Tony she knew my name too", Chaka bit her bottom lip them went back to her drawing

After about half an hour Gibbs walked down the stairs from MTAC, as soon as Chaka saw him she became nervous, she got up from Ziva's desk and walked into the middle of the bullpen to meet Gibbs, they were standing in front of each other about a metre away, Chaka looking up and Gibbs looking down

"Can I help you?"

"Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Yes, that's me", he said a little confused as to why a young girl was looking for him

"I need your help", Gibbs signalled for her to follow him, he sat down at his desk and she stood on the other side, "My names Chaka, my mum and dad are in trouble and you're the only one who can help"

"Do I know you?"

"No, we've never met, but I know you"

"How?"

"Mum used to tell me stories about you"

"Do I know your mum?"

"Yes"

"Do I know your dad?"

"Yes"

"Chaka, if you want me help I need to know who you are", Chaka took a deep breath

"My full name is Chaka Kiba Haswari", Gibbs got up so fast his chair crashed into the filing cabinet behind his desk, he pulled his gun and pointed it at Chaka which caused her to stumble backwards and loose he balance, she was lying on the floor propped up her elbows, Gibbs had come around the front of his desk gun still pointed at her, Ziva and Tony were looking on in shock

"Ari Haswari?"

"My father"

"How old are you?" Chaka didn't answer, "How, old are you?"

"13"

"That's Impossible, Ari Haswari has been dead for 14 years", Chaka shook her head and tears ran down her cheeks from underneath the sunglasses, "He's dead", Chaka shook her head

"No"

"What do you mean no?"

"He isn't dead"

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now"

"I didn't do anything wrong, and neither did my father"

"HE KILLED KATE"

"NO", Gibbs was getting angry

"HE KILLED KATE, did he ever tell you that, did he tell you about Caitlin"

"He didn't kill Kate", Chaka got up on her feet, surprisingly nobody in the other offices had noticed anything, Tony was still staring on in shock, but Ziva was on the verge of a heart attack, Chaka took off Ziva's sunglasses and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, when Chaka opened her eyes Gibbs saw a familiar pair of beautiful dark brown watery eyes staring back at him

"Kate", Chaka nodded, Gibbs released the gun and let it drop to the floor, "That's how you know me, she told you?" Chaka nodded again, she pulled a worn folded piece of paper out of her parka pocket and handed it to Gibbs

"She gave that to me when I was 6 years old, told me if I was ever in trouble, this was the one man that could get me out", Gibbs stared at the extremely realistic sketch that was identical to the one of him that he found in Kate's sketch book 14 years ago

"Did Kate or Ari ever tell you why your name was Chaka Kiba Haswari?"

"No"

"Ziva?", Ziva was sitting with her mouth open, trying to figure out how her brother was still alive after all these years, Tony was exactly the same wondering about his former partner

"Um, Chaka and Kiba are both Hebrew names, Chaka meaning life, and Kiba means protected"

"I suppose they didn't tell you whose life they were protecting when they left did they?"

"No, but please Gibbs, I need you to help me find them", Chaka looked up at Gibbs with longing eyes

"What do you know so far", Chaka hugged Gibbs tightly

"Thankyou Gibbs"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Confirmation

They heard the elevator ding and McGee step out, "Ziva can you take Chaka to get some dry clothes, then meet me back here", Ziva nodded still in shock and walked over to her desk where Chaka was sitting and gathered some things from her draws for Chaka to change into, McGee walked into the bullpen carrying four cups of coffee on a cardboard tray

"Good morning everybody", McGee said cheerfully as he walked through the bullpen Chaka turned around in her swivel chair to face McGee, when McGee looked over and saw Chaka's eyes looking back at him, he stopped immediately where he was stunned and dropped the tray of coffees

"Calm down McGee, and clean that coffee", Ziva led Chaka to the bathrooms to get her changed into some tracksuit pants and a plain peach coloured singlet top while Gibbs headed up to clear a conference room

"Is it just me or does she remind you of..."

"Kate?"

"Yeah"

"No probie it's not just you, I'm still confused, but Gibbs seems to understand something", Tony was still sitting at his desk head in hands and McGee was on the floor attempting to sponge the coffee out of the carpet with an old rag

"Who is she?"

"That's the funny part, have a guess"

"I really have no idea Tony"

"You remember our good friend Ari Haswari"

"Wha, what, tell me she's not"

"Chaka Kiba Haswari? Sorry probie I can't tell you that, oh and I forgot to tell you the other funny part, she's 13"

"That's not possible though"

"Tell me about it"

"And Kate's?"

"Don't know, but you know what Gibbs thinks about coincidences"

"What if she is?"

"She's got a lot of explaining to do"

Ziva walked Chaka to the conference room where Gibbs was waiting but stopped just outside the door

"Chaka?"

"Yes?"

"Is um, is Ari..."

"Yeah, he's alive", Ziva swallowed hard and nodded then opened the door to let Chaka in the room, she went and took a seat across from Gibbs while Ziva waited at the door

"Thanks Ziva, give us a minute", Ziva nodded

"I will ah, go get Tony and McGee", Ziva left and closed the door behind her

"Just to clear things up, Ari Haswari and Caitlin Todd?"

"My parents, they said you'd know who I am"

"I didn't know who you were until you told me", Gibbs had his hands folded on the table while Chaka fiddled with her thumbs

"I only told you that Ari was my dad, you figured out that Kate was my mum all on your own"

"I had a hint", Chaka laughed

"I know"

"You have her eyes"

"I know", Chaka sighed and her happy expression turned into a frown

"You said you were 13", Chaka paused for a minute

"I am, I know you thought they were dead, but they're not"

"Chaka, I watched them die"

"No you watched..., it's difficult to explain so I'll let dad do that, but Gibbs we need to find them"

"And we will, I need to know what you remember?" Chaka replayed what happened in her head

She was sitting on her bed reading a book when suddenly Kate came through the door looking like she was about to cry, she sat down on the bed in front of Chaka and took her face in her hands, "Mum what's wrong", Chaka now looked extremely worried

"Shhh, shhh, listen to me, I love you so much, you know that, but there are people, bad people that are coming and you need to run, now, there's no time to pack, someone's going to meet you at the airport, he's going to keep you safe"

"Mum, I don't wanna go", they were both crying now

"And I don't want you to go either but Chaka, you have to", Kate leaned in and hugged her daughter tightly, they got up off the bed and Chaka stared up at her mother for a minute, then Ari walked into the room, he walked over and pulled both Chaka and Kate into a hug and kissed Chaka on the head

"Go now before it's too late, I love you, be strong Chaka, find Gibbs", Ari said as he reluctantly let go of his daughter

"Why do I have to go?"

"They don't know you're here, you can still run", Kate took off her necklace and knelt down on the floor, she took Chaka's hand and put the necklace in her palm, Kate closed Chaka's fingers around it, "If they don't believe your eyes, show them this"

Chaka took one last look at everything she had ever known and loved before climbing out the window and on to the street, she ran as fast as she could, her feet aching, it was only a 20 minute jog to the airport, she ran that direction every morning on a run, when she finally reached the departure area, she realised she had no idea who she was looking for until someone tapped her shoulder from behind, she jumped and turned around

"Chaka Haswari I presume"

"How do you know my name?"

"Your mum told me to meet you here, my name's Mike Franks, I'm an old friend of Gibbs"

"The man that brought you here, where is he now", Gibbs said snapping Chaka out of her headspace

"Mike Franks?"

"Yeah", his tone was now slightly annoyed at the involvement of his old friend Franks

"He got on the plane with me then drove me to here, but he told me he couldn't go any further than this, when we got to the entrance of the Navy Yard, said I knew the rest"

"Is that all?"

"Oh, no he told me to tell you, um, oh yeah, it was rule 18", Gibbs laughed

"And what did Kate give you?" Chaka pulled out the necklace and handed it to Gibbs

"I don't have one because mum and dad could never decide which one to get me, you know from two different religions and all, they said they'd let me choose when I was ready"

"OK Chaka, thanks", Gibbs let out a sigh and shook his head but then began to smile

"How are you gunna know where to start?"

"I'm gunna start in Mexico"

Tony, Ziva and McGee watched as Gibbs came into the bullpen, they all stood up at their desks desperate for information, Gibbs walked past and motioned for them to sit down and continued to sit down at his desk

"Gibbs" Tony said, Gibbs just looked at him with eyes that said everything

"So she is..."

"Yes, she's Kate's daughter", they heard a small gasp come from McGee

"But boss that's impossible"

"Tell me about it DiNozzo"

"No, whoever she is she's not Kate's"

"Tony", Gibbs watched as Tony stood up from his seat and walked into the middle of the bullpen, he knew Tony was upset and confused, he knew Tony and Kate were really close, and he knew how hard Tony took it when she supposedly died

"NO, SHE IS NOT KATE'S, Gibbs, Kate died, I, watched, her, die"

"SO DID I TONY, but somehow, she's not dead"

"She died in my arms Gibbs"

"Did you see her eyes Tony, did she look at you?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean anything, lots of people have brown eyes Gibbs"

"Nobody has eyes like Kate, and here", Gibbs pulled out the necklace Chaka gave him and tossed it to Tony, he looked at the small silver chain containing a silver cross with a man on it, he remembered the day Kate showed it to him, she said her grandfather had it made for her when she was 13 just before he died, she said it was a one of a kind

"This was..."

"Kate's", Tony left the bullpen and headed to the elevator with the necklace in his hand, the team watched the doors close just as tears began running down his cheeks

"She really is her daughter isn't she"

"Yeah McGee"

"How did she get here, where did she come from?"

"She caught a plane from somewhere"

"But how did she get into NCIS? Mark said he wouldn't let her through the front entrance"

"She came in through autopsy"

"She told you that?"

"McGee, her dad is Ari Haswari, she didn't have to tell me that"

"So that's true as well"

"Believe it or not Tony is capable of telling you the truth"

"I know boss", Ziva who had been sitting there silently got up and headed for the elevator, nobody asked her where she was going, they knew she had to get some air

Ziva took the elevator to the top floor, and then walked the small flight of stairs to the roof top, she looked around and found Tony sitting on top of an elevated block of concrete with a small grate on top, obviously attached to an air vent, she walked over and sat next to him, he was fiddling with Kate's necklace, he looked up at her

"I thought she was dead Ziva"

"I know"

"I thought I was never going to see her again, Ziva, I watched her die, I watched them close the coffin"

"I know, Tony I understand"

"How can you understand Ziva, how would you know what it's like"

"I lost Ari as well Tony"

"Well he couldn't have meant that much to you"

"Why would you say, Tony, how could you say that to me, he was my brother"

"How can I..., YOU KILLED HIM ZIVA", Ziva looked at Tony eyes wide and lips slightly parted in shock, a tear ran down her cheek, Tony looked surprised, then he realised what he had said and felt horrible, "Ziva I'm sorry, I didn't mean to"

"I killed my own brother, I know, 14 years I've had to live with that, knowing I'd killed the only real family I had left"

"I'm sorry, Ziva I didn't mean to say that"

"It's OK, I know, your upset, confused, angry"

"Did I ever tell you why I joined NCIS?"

"No, not the real reason", Tony laughed

"It wasn't for the guns and babes you know, it was so I could wrap my head around it all, so I wouldn't care as much"

"Around what"

"Dying"

"How do you mean?"

"Nah, never mind, it's a long story"

"I have time", Tony sighed, Ziva watched his eyes go blank as he remembered...


	3. Chapter 3

Really sorry if some of you find this chapter boring, but it was important to me to stick it in, please review

'Childhood is not from birth until a certain age, And at a certain age, The child is grown, And puts away childish things, Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies' (Edna st. Vincent Millay)

Chapter 3 – Because of Him

"When I was a kid, a friend of mine from baseball, Adam, he was only fourteen, I was sixteen, I remember we were at a game and he was running late, his dad was supposed to pick him up from his grandparent's house but he never showed, his dad's name was Mark by the way, we just started playing when Adam showed up, his grandparents dropped him off, I heard one of the mums after the game ask Adam's mum, Dani, where Mark was, she said she had no idea, he probably got held up at work, that was on Saturday"

"The Monday after at school, we were in our groups for Civics, we were learning about Australian Government, I was the Health department, before that though we had morning prayer, our Civics teacher was catholic and she liked to introduce us to some rituals, like prayer, we all sat in a circle and prayed for something when it was our turn, I heard one of the other guys in my class pray for Mark Oliver's family because he had died over the weekend, I figured that he didn't actually die" Tony's eyes began to water

"Hey, you can stop right now, you don't have to tell me if it's too hard", Tony laughed

"I just have to toughen up", Ziva gave a comforting smile

"Why would you think he didn't actually die?"

"Cause we were family friends with the Oliver's and I remembered how one day my dad came home and told me Mark had died, he had a bit of a twisted sense of humour my dad, Mark had died, but only for a minute, he was an older man Mark, he was having his heart pacer replaced when his heart stopped and they had to revive him, so technically he did die, but only for a minute, I figured the kid had misheard and it was just something like that again"

"But it wasn't, was it"

"No, the kid that prayed for Mark's family, was in the health department group as well, there were only five of us though, I asked him about it, he told me that Mark had really died, his little brother was in Adam's class, Adam didn't come to school today, his teacher had told them why, then at the end of the day every student got a not that informed you that Mark Oliver had passed away early Saturday morning, and a whole bunch of this a sad time, he will be greatly missed, I went home that afternoon and locked myself in my room, I couldn't stop crying, Adam was one of my best mates, and mum and Dani were really close, Mark had been really good to me", Tony rested his forehead in his hands

"The worst part was, that Saturday at baseball, nobody knew, we were all happy and enjoying ourselves, nobody had a clue where Mark was, when he was lying somewhere dead, I don't know exactly what happened, I was only sixteen so nobody actually told me much about what was going on, but Tuesday morning mum told me not to believe any rumours that were going around, she told me that Mark committed suicide, and at the funeral a friend told me that they found him at his desk and it had something to do with gas, I still don't know what to believe"

"A friend, not a mate" Tony laughed

"You don't miss anything do you"

"No"

"Daniella, she was my best friend"

"I thought you believed men and women can't be just friends", Ziva raised an eyebrow

"She was more than a friend, but we never went out, she was too special to me"

"Too special?"

"I didn't want to lose her through some stupid break-up"

"What happened to her?"

"I might tell you some other time, where was I?"

"The funeral"

"Oh yeah"¸Tony's smile quickly turned into a frown, "We've been out here a bit too long so I'll speed it up, I never thought I would cry like that, when they brought in the coffin, when Dani, Adam, and his eleven year old brother Luke Got up all together to talk about Mark, they all looked so strong, and so proud, I couldn't understand why they weren't crying, they had to get up and talk about their dead dad for heaven sakes, when Marks older brother got up to talk about his childhood, how Mark loved to build little boats and canoes when he was young, even when they sung Amazing Grace, and the slide show that Luke made, but the part that really ripped my heart out, the last slide, It had a picture of Mark, and above it said 'Goodbye Daddy', I just couldn't get that out of my head", Tony stopped to look at Ziva who was looking out at the other buildings, but she was obviously still listening because tears filled her eyes, the same as Tony

"Luke got the most improved award for football that year, the presentation was only a few weeks after the funeral, he didn't get it for sympathy though, he really deserved it, Mark would have been so proud of him, when Luke first started Mark thought he was gunna be hopeless, but he supported him anyway, he came to every game to cheer on his son, and I don't know how he could just take himself out of their life like that, he was never gunna see, his kids grow up, never gunna be there for them when they need their dad, never gunna be there to give them a pat on the back, then another school project, a slide show, a kid in my class did his on war, I had to watch it like twenty times because he was practicing to show it at an assembly, there was this one slide that made me cry every time, you can imagine how that would have been, the great Anthony DiNozzo, crying like a little girl, it was a picture of a gravestone, with a small American flag sticking up from the ground and a toddler standing next to it, the words above it were 'Rest In Peace Daddy', I was just a kid, I couldn't Imagine someone lying under the ground in a coffin, it was too big for me to wrap my head around, I just didn't get it, how can someone die, when they are so loved, when they are needed so much, how could they never walk through their own front door again, I thought NCIS might help me get over it, help me get it through my thick skull that death is real, real and an unavoidable part of life, I thought maybe if I saw enough of it I would start to except that, not feel anything when I see death, not hurt, just see and except, like you"

"You think that's what I do, see and except, sometimes, that is what I have to do, I have to let go and move on, but sometimes I can't do that, and I'm glad, when I shot Ari, I felt nothing, and I wish I had, I wanted to have felt something, but I couldn't, and I was so angry with myself, that's when I decided to stay here, to learn how to feel something more, I would rather hurt than feel nothing"

"You grew up too young Ziva, that's why"

"And what exactly is growing up?"

"When you're no longer a child"

"At what age are you no longer a child in America Tony?"

"Not at an age Ziva, childhood is not from birth until a certain age, and at a certain age, the child is grown, and puts away childish things, childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies, and your kingdom was invaded, conquered and burned down to the ground way too early"

"I don't even remember it Tony, it was that long ago"

"I know", Tony put an arm around Ziva's shoulder, the thick grey quilt of dark clouds had cracks scattered through it so you could see rays of sun bursting through to the busy streets of the Navy Yard below, "We should probably get back inside, we've been up here for an hour and a half, Gibbs is gunna start to worry", Ziva rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and stood up, Tony followed her down the stairs and into the elevator

"Tony..."

"Yeah, I think we'll find them, in fact I know we will"

"How'd you know I was going to...?"

"I know you", Tony leant down and kissed the top of Ziva's head, he stepped back to look at her and she smiled

"Thank you Tony"

"Thank you for listening", the elevator doors opened and Gibbs walked inside with McGee on his heels, the doors closed Tony and Ziva still inside

"Boss?"

"Go home Tony, pack your gear, we meet back here in an hour"

"Where are we going", Ziva asked clearly puzzled

"Mexico"

"Franks?"

"Keep up DiNozzo", Gibbs slapped the back of his head as he walked out of the elevator into the car park, Tony turned his head to look at McGee

"Don't look at me", McGee raised both of his hands in innocence, "I have no idea"


	4. Chapter 4

**Any suggestions for the plot or anything else are welcome, I'm a bit stuck so help is defiantly appreciated, please review **

Chapter 4 – The first step

They all went home and packed for the trip to Mexico, they weren't going for long but Gibbs had arranged to stay the night, he had a lot to sort out with Franks

Everyone was silent as they ambled down the soft sand beach of Mexico under the starry sky

"Did anybody tell Abby?" McGee asked

"No"

"Don't you think someone should Gibbs?"

"No, McGee, no, I don't"

"Gibbs, Kate was her friend, she deserves to know" Gibbs stopped and turned to face McGee sparking a smile on Tony's face

"Oh this'll be interesting"

"Keep walking DiNozzo" Tony and Ziva walked past Gibbs, Ziva turned her head and gave McGee a comforting glance

"He doesn't need your sympathy David" Gibbs waited until Tony and Ziva were out of ear shot

"Gibbs Kate was Abby's best friend she" McGee was cut off

"You think I don't know that McGee"

"Boss I know you know that"

"What happens if we don't find her Tim?"

"Wha..."

"Or what if we're too late, what do we tell Abby then"

"Gibbs, we're gunna find her aren't we"

"I dunno McGee" Gibbs turned and headed for the dim light in the distance shining through one of the windows of the house, McGee trailed behind and Tony and Ziva were already half way there

"Bet ya he got off easy"

"Gibbs does not do easy"

"I beg to differ Ziva"

"That goes against every one of Gibbs' rules"

"Every rule has an exception"

"Most rules have an exception, not all"

"Ok, maybe arguably"

"It really depends on what you would call easy"

"I guess"

"How do you think Mike Franks is involved in this?"

"It's Franks, we're better off not knowing"

"Were he and Kate close?" Tony looked out to the dark body of water glowing under the light of the moon

"They would've"

"Would have?" Ziva raised her eyebrows, Tony sighed

"They never met"

"Then how..." Ziva's face displayed one of her quizzical expressions, Tony shrugged his shoulders his duffel bag slid off his shoulder, and he took a moment to re adjust it

"I don't know what's happening, I just wanna get through the day"

"Well technically..."

"Da da da da" Tony clamped a hand over Ziva's mouth, "I know"

"You're late"

"Sorry we couldn't comply with your schedule" Tony said heaving his suitcase through the front door, "and let me put a little emphasis on the word 'your' that nobody else knew about"

"You figured it out eventually didn't ya, where's Gibbs?"

"About five minutes down the beach"

"Ah, Ziva, good to see you"

"Good to see you too Franks"

"Right this way, sorry bout the sleeping arrangements but we got no spare beds so couch is this way, just pull it out and you're good to go"

"Thank you, the couch is absolutely fine"

"You're welcome lady Ziva"

"Tony, you're on the blow up"

"The blow up?"

"Mattress DiNozzo, you ever been camping?"

"Camping? God no that's a McGeek thing"

"Get used to it DiNozzo you're here for the next 18 hours" Mike walked further into the house in search of a drink

Tony yelled out to him, "17"

"Whatever DiNozzo, the sooner you're outa my house the better"

Gibbs and Mike Franks were sitting out on the deck under a starry sky lazily sipping whisky

"Anything you wanna tell me Mike?"

"I wouldn't give you much of a challenge if I just told ya everything"

"Good to see you haven't changed"

"Not one bit"

Gibbs adjusted himself so he was facing Mike, "Kate"

"I knew your whiskey came at a price"

"What Happened?"

"Ari came and found me, said he needed my help"

"Ari found you?"

"Was waiting for me when I got home one night, I'll tell ya that guy is good, I didn't even know he was there until he grabbed me from behind"

"Good to see he hasn't changed either"

"Said I was the only one he could trust, kinda weird hearing that from a guy you've never laid eyes on before"

"Did he tell you who he was?"

"He told me what I needed to know"

"What was that?"

"His story, then proof, of his connection to you"

"What did Kate give him to work with?"

"A certain set of rules, one in particular that he said applied" Gibbs laughed

"First he steals my agent, then my rules, well at least we know this was defiantly Ari"

"How'd you figure that"

"You didn't hear him, he grabbed you from behind, and he has no problem ignoring the claim on that set of rules, this guy sounds like a bastard, it's Ari" he took another swig of his whisky

"What is it you have against him?"

"I'm not sure if I have a solid reason anymore, just call it a gut feeling"

"If your gut comes into this just forget I asked"

"Did you see Kate?" Franks let a few minutes go by before answering

"Once, her and Chaka stayed here one weekend when Ari thought they were gunna make their move"

"They?"

"He doesn't know, you did a good job with Kate, she reminds me a lot of you"

"In what way"

"The stubbornness" Gibbs sighed

"Do you know where she is?"

"I know the general area, that's it, but you're not gunna like it probie, not at all"

**Any suggestions for the plot or anything else are welcome, I'm a bit stuck so help is defiantly appreciated, please review **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm stuck a bit with the story line so it's taking a lot longer to write so if you have any suggestions please please please let me know **

Chapter 5 – A Life Worth Saving

"They took her to a war zone?"

"I told ya you wouldn't like it"

"Do you know where?"

"Kabul, Ari didn't know for sure but he had an idea of who the hell was after him"

"Mike now isn't the time to hold back"

"A man from his undercover sleeper cell, Ori Ben-Tov, last spotted in a Kabul market place"

"I can't lose her again Mike"

"Then it looks like you have a choice to make Gibbs"

"How the hell am I supposed to get her out of Afghanistan?"

"That, is a question worth answering" he poured the last drops of whiskey into his mouth savouring the taste of every one

"That's because she's a life worth saving mike" Gibbs stood up and started walking inside

"Hey probie"

"Mike"

"First door on the left after the kitchen is all yours"

"Night Mike"

"See ya tomorrow"

"Good morning Mike"

"Ziva, you're up early, and what, where'd you get the pancakes?"

"You did not have any eggs so I ran to that little bar you go to and mentioned you name"

"Got a set of legs don't you"

"I suppose"

"Good morning Mexico and it looks like we have another day in the microwave oven with a, oh that smells good"

"Ah" Ziva whacked the back of Tony's hand with the spatula as he reached for the frying pan

"Patience"

"How long have you known me?"

"Too long"

"So you should know patience isn't one of my many talents"

"Many" Ziva scoffed as he turned his back

"I heard that" his voice echoed from around the corner

"Ahh", 'thump!'

"He didn't"

"Meh he'll be right" franks said un-phased by the argument that was about to start between Tony and McGee

"TONY, I thought I told you to let McGee sleep" Ziva called from the kitchen

"HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS HAVING A NIGHTMARE" he called back from the next room

Ziva rummaged the cupboard and pulled out a glass bottle, "You sure you wanna do that Ziva?"

"Meh, he will be right" she said pouring the vinegar into the remainder of the pancake mix, "It is just Tony"

"It is just DiNozzo isn't it" he walked around the bench to the fridge and pulled out a beer

"Mike"

"I don't care what time it is"

"That was not what I was going to say"

"Then what?" Mike threw his hands up

"What you are not going to offer me one?"

"Ahh, sorry I forgot who I was talking to" Mike pulled another beer out of the fridge and tossed it to Ziva who managed to catch it one handed and have the lid off within seconds

"TONY! GIVE IT BACK!" Tony came running through the kitchen and out the front door with a smile as wide as the sky printed on his face, then McGee came chasing after him

Mike turned around to see Tim run into the fly screen that Tony had shut on his way out and tumble onto the floor, "I'm too old for this" he said getting up and heading out to the deck, McGee got up off floor and ran outside to find Tony

Ziva looked out the window to see Tony running down the sand in boxers and a grey shirt, smile still holding strong. He had the phone held high above his head while Tim tried to retrieve it, Ziva laughed, "Don't ever grow up Tony" she whispered to herself

"HEY MIKE?"

"YEAH"

"Where's Gibbs?" Mike walked into the room and leaned against the door frame, he took a swig of his drink and then smiled

"What?" Ziva said returning the smile with a laugh

"Took a walk down the beach"

"Ok", Ziva said still laughing and a little confused about Mike Franks' expression

Ziva walked along the beach up the bend of sand just visible from the house, she found Gibbs sitting on one of the sea smoothed rocks that had fallen from the cliff that ran the length of the beach. "We missed you at breakfast this morning"'

"Had things to think about"

"Kate" It was posed as a question but Gibbs knew she didn't need an answer

"Yeah"

"Was um, did Mike know anything?"

"Afghanistan"

"Sorry?"

"That's where they are, in the middle of a war" Gibbs and Ziva sat on the rocks for a good half talking about Afghanistan

"So what do we do?"

"We make a choice" Gibbs stood up and threw the stone he was twirling around with his fingers as far as he could into the rolling waves, then he started walking back towards the house with Ziva in tow

Gibbs gathered everyone and they all sat around Mike's dining table, "Kate" he looked over at Ziva, "and Ari, are in the middle of a war"

"Gibbs" Tony questioned

"Afghanistan" the whole room heard Tony's jaw clench

"We're going in"

"In?"

"We're going to Afghanistan"

"You found Kate?"

"We think she's being held somewhere in Kabul"

"Gibbs, what can we do we have no tangible information, no, anything, what are we gunna do over there"

"We're gunna bring her home"

"Or die trying"

"It's not a suicide mission DiNozzo"

"Mike it may as well be"

"DiNozzo, he's right, it's not a suicide mission it's a rescue mission, and we stay low for as long as it takes to figure out how to find them"

"You don't think they might be a bit put off by a bunch of navy cops asking questions?"

"When we go over there it's an alternate universe" Gibbs pulled several folders out of a bag, "Tony, meet Private Anthony Di Mele, you'll be in the core on base near the markets, and you generally do patrol around the streets so you can keep an eye open for anything" Tony nodded

"What about everyone else?"

"Tim, Timothy Jacobs, computer specialist at the base, the head of the base knows we're coming but to the other marines we're just additions"

"What will I do?"

"You're handling the tech side of the mission, communications, and the rest"

"I hate to ask but what about you and Ziva?"

"Private Jethro Harding, I'm you new roommate Tony"

"And Ziva?"

"Ziva Sahar" he looked at Ziva, "Just like we talked about, be careful"

"Wait what?" Tony asked still confused

"Pack your bags we're leaving after lunch, we go home get a full brief by Vance this afternoon and fly out tomorrow morning, after that, we're not in DC anymore"

**I'm stuck a bit with the story line so it's taking a lot longer to write so if you have any suggestions please please please let me know Any ideas on what you might like to read or you think will go well anything will be really appreciated, thanks **


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